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Get back to proper education

Inferior education is one of this nation’s preventable tragedies, so it’s easy to sympathize with people who want to homeschool their children – away from the craziness. Shootings, metal detectors – bans on purses, for heaven’s sake. And school administrators seem to have occasional hormonal fits that cloud their judgment. Having experienced a few administrator-fits, we understand wanting to educate a child in a fit-free environment.

Thirty years ago, administrators at our school tried something new. Someone – who clearly was bored – decided that students should be grouped according to ability, not age. Most children wound up in siblings’ classes. They were embarrassed and confused. Misbehavior went up; achievement went down. Eventually, after the year was totally disrupted, the system was abandoned and regular classes reinstated.

We were reminded of that in 1995, when Kentucky’s Education Department decided to mix together children from kindergarten through third grade.

Almost 30 years ago, administrators at our school decided that each class warranted two grades: one for achievement and one for effort. The goal, we suppose, was to reward underachievers who tried. But in reality, the effort grade was a political/social tool. No longer was it enough to learn the material. Good grades actually went down if teachers decided students weren’t expending enough effort. Conversely, students who could snow teachers got grades they didn’t deserve.

We were reminded of that a few years ago, when makers of the SAT announced plans to provide "disadvantaged" students with opportunities to "improve" their scores. One plan was to give credit for "striving." What this means is that some students would have scores that exceeded their achievements, and others wouldn’t. And what do you suppose they’d all learn about fairness and the value of achievement?

It was probably inevitable. Billions of dollars have been thrown at education, but grades haven’t gone up and the education gap hasn’t closed. Rather than figure out why – and admit some hard truths – some people would rather inflate grades and pretend they’ve solved the problem. That’s a sharp slap in the face of poorly educated children. Grade inflation won’t get them the education they need to be competitive and to follow their dreams. There just isn’t any substitute for learning, and the only way to learn is to sit down and do it. Students and teachers have to work as hard as it takes, and administrators have to stay out of it. And therein lies one problem with public education. Too often, administrators won’t stay out of it. The benefit to good-quality homeschooling, of course, is that the parents are the teachers and administrators, and the buck stops with them.

Here's our vision of an excellent education program:

	Students won't forgo learning about George Washington in favor of learning about Frederick Douglass. They'll learn about both.
	Students won't be insulted by suggestions that they can’t meet a standard. Teachers will find some way to help them meet it. They won't receive attendance awards (they're expected to attend), but they'll earn awards for achievement and improvement.
	Teachers will insist on traditional grades, and if the children fail to learn something, teachers will recognize that the fault probably lies with the teaching. Teachers will be allowed to give out Fs, hugs and a different approach to the subject. There won't be any Bell Curves; students will get the grade they deserve.
	ADHD medication will be rare in the school hallways -- as will swearing, drugs, weapons, tattoos, bare midriffs and smoking. But the words "zero tolerance" will never be uttered. Instead, teachers and administrators will trust in themselves to judge each case on its own special merits.
	Beginning students will learn to read by sounding out words. They'll be tested and corrected. They'll learn good grammar and at least one other language. Older students will be graded on their grammar; students who cannot read and write will not graduate.
	Students will be allowed to celebrate their own holiday traditions while studying others. They'll learn about both religion and evolution. All books appropriate for their age group will be open to them.
	Cultural sensitivity will be taught and reinforced as an ongoing part of the students' daily existence. But there will be no courses taught on victimization.
	Students will be allowed to carry a purse, an opaque backpack or a fingernail file. Their clothes will be what teachers decide is appropriate.
	School will be fun and interesting, but it will be a benevolent dictatorship. Students will call teachers "sir" and "ma’am." Misbehavior will earn detention or extra work. There will be fair hearings of complaints – but no lawsuits, metal detectors, police, locker checks or surprise visits from social workers. Teachers will be more focused on what's in the child's head than on what's in the child's backpack.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? And suddenly it becomes clear how far some institutions of education have wandered from real education. Unless we want homeschooling to be the norm instead of the exception, those institutions somehow need to find their way back again.

Check it out! Two new blogs!
We've begun a blog for parents who want to talk about public education.
Do you have something to say, or a question you want to ask?
Take a look at Betrayed: Why Education is Failing.


Safer Child also has a blog.

Do you have a comment, suggestion or question relative to parenting? Take a look at the Safer Child, Inc. blog.

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